White member of Boston Asian gang pleads guilty

John Willis leader of Boston Chinatown gang

A white leader of one of Boston Chinatown's normally insular Asian gangs has pleaded guilty to federal drug and money laundering charges.

John Willis, known as Bac Guai, or "white devil," pleaded guilty Thursday to what prosecutors called a "vast conspiracy" that also included prostitution.

The Boston Globe reports that the 42-year-old Willis is one of dozens of reputed gang members swept up in a 2011 sweep through Chinatown. Most have already pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say Willis, from the city's Dorchester neighborhood, had been introduced to the Chinatown underworld when he was about 12 years old, learned to speak Cantonese, and was essentially adopted by a Chinese family.

Described as an 'enforcer,' he faces more than a decade in prison at sentencing June 6.